Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal scored again Thursday night in Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights, extending a goal streak that has pushed the 37-year-old center into unusually select postseason company.
Jordan Staal Scores Again In Game 5
Staal became just the fourth player in NHL history to score a goal in each of the first five games of a Stanley Cup Final, according to the Associated Press. The run has turned a series between Carolina and Vegas into a personal historical footnote for a veteran better known for long, hard shifts than headline-chasing scoring bursts.
AP noted that the previous players to score in Games 1 through 5 of a final were Jean Beliveau in 1956 with Montreal, Maurice Richard in 1951 and Cyclone Taylor of the Vancouver Millionaires in 1918. That is not exactly a crowded table.
Stanley Cup Final Numbers Put Staal Beside NHL Greats
Staal also became the first player since Yvan Cournoyer in 1973 with Montreal to score in five consecutive Stanley Cup Final games. Before Staal, the last player to score five-plus goals in the first four games of a final was Mario Lemieux, when Pittsburgh was going back to back.
The first-four-games list is similarly short. AP reported that Mike Bossy was the last player before Staal to score in each of the first four games of a final, doing it when the New York Islanders won the third of four straight championships. Minnesota's Steve Payne in 1981 and Boston's Johnny Bucyk in 1970 were the other names in that group.
Carolina Captain Adds Late-Career Twist
The age element makes the run even sharper. Staal is 37, and AP noted that Larry Robinson with Montreal in 1989 was the only player older than him to score in each of the first two games of a final. Brad Marchand last year with Florida was the only older player to score in each of the first three after turning 37.
Within the Hurricanes and Hartford Whalers franchise, only Ron Francis at 39 in 2002 and Mark Recchi at 38 in 2006 had scored a goal in the final at age 37 or older before Staal joined them. Staal's current streak does not decide the Cup by itself, but it gives Carolina a rare statistical charge from a captain whose timing has become oddly impeccable.